Earlier, a number of media outlets reported that the United States was considering a possibility of starting land operations against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq

Pentagon

MOSCOW, October 27 /TASS/. Pentagon’s remarks about a possible US land operation in Syria should not be regarded as its announcement, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"For the moment, it is simply necessary to study the details and understand what it (Pentagon) means," Peskov told journalists. He added that Pentagon’s statement published in the media was not the operation’s announcement.

Earlier, a number of media outlets reported that the United States was considering a possibility of starting land operations against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The media referred to U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter who told the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services that the United States should go ahead with supporting the attacks of its partners fighting the IS, including on the ground.

The media also reported the United States could make a decision to send its special operations units to Syria in the days to come.

Kremlin spokesman refuses to say whether contacts with Free Syrian Army were raised at Putin-Assad meeting

The Kremlin spokesman has refrained from giving a direct answer to a question whether Russian and Syrian Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Bashar Assad, discussed possible cooperation with the Free Syrian Army at their last week’s meeting in Moscow.

"Issues of political settlement were in focus, and, naturally, contacts with a wide spectrum of those who has no contacts with terror and extremism were on the agenda as part of political settlement," Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Peskov refused to comment on talks held with representatives of the Free Syrian Amy in Russia. "Honestly speaking, I would prefer to leave this topic for colleagues from the Foreign Ministry," he said.

When asked about what the Russian president thought about the Free Syrian Army, the Kremlin spokesman said "it was stated on many occasions that certain problems exist with identifying the so-called moderate opposition."

"There is also a shortage of interaction with our colleagues in identifying really moderate forces, which could help fight terrorist and extremist organizations in Syria," Peskov said.